Departmental Flags

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his policy is on flying the Union flag each day from each official building for which his Department is responsible.

Chris Grayling: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport issues the guidance for the flying of the Union flag on UK Government buildings. The guidance encourages the Union flag to be flown 365 days a year, and as a minimum all Departments must fly the Union flag on the 19 special designated days e.g. the Queen's Birthday, Remembrance Day, etc. and other special occasions as required e.g. State Opening of Parliament. More information on the guidance is available on the DCMS website:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/what_we_do/honours/7124.aspx
	My Department flies the Union Flag on the 19 designated days and on other special days as required. We also fly the flag on every day of the year at the Department's London Headquarters building, Caxton House and the Adelphi.

Cancer: Screening

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the proportion of people screened for early detection and diagnosis of cancers in  (a) Hartlepool constituency and  (b) the North East region.

Paul Burstow: There are currently three national cancer screening programmes: breast, cervical and bowel. Primary care trusts (PCTs), including those in the North East, are responsible for commissioning screening programmes and for managing local screening awareness initiatives.
	In March 2009, the Department published "Reducing Cancer Inequality: Evidence, Progress and Making it Happen: a Report by the National Cancer Equality Initiative", which recommended that PCTs review local levels of screening coverage and uptake to consider whether further action is required. The report has already been placed in the Library.

Dietary Supplements: EU Law

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on maximum permitted dose levels for vitamins and minerals under the EU Food Supplements Directive.

Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency represents the United Kingdom in discussions with the European Commission on the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in recommended daily doses of food supplements. The last working group meeting, a meeting of the 'Ad Hoc Working Group', which comprises eight member states including the UK, was held in April 2009.

Health: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on levels of health inequality in Harlow constituency in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Anne Milton: The information is not available. However, a limited amount of inequality information within Harlow local authority can be found in the Harlow local health profile, produced by the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) and published on their website at:
	www.apho.org.uk/resource/view.aspx?RID=50215&SEARCH=harlow

NHS

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to create an independent NHS board; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The coalition agreement set out the Government's intention to establish an independent NHS board to allocate resources and provide commissioning guidelines.
	The NHS board will drive improvements in the quality of patient care by ensuring commissioning decisions are made according to evidence-based quality standards. It will have autonomy to ensure that funding decisions are made on the basis of need and will support general practitioners to commission services on behalf of their patients.
	We will provide more detail on our plans for establishing the NHS board in due course.

Smoking: Health Services

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of receipts from hypothecated tobacco tax was ring-fenced for spending on the costs of NHS care for patients with smoking-related diseases in the latest period for which figures are available.

Danny Alexander: have been asked to reply.
	There is no formal mechanism to ring-fence tobacco receipts for spending on the NHS. It is funded out of the Consolidated Fund.

Councillors

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the presumed minimum hours of work are for local councillors remunerated for cabinet responsibilities.

Bob Neill: My Department does not hold this information. Being a councillor is not a job, it is a vocation. Accordingly councillors do not receive salaries, rather they receive allowances designed to ensure that being a councillor does not leave them out of pocket. The roles of the councillor will vary from authority to authority, ward to ward and even person to person. It is for each authority to determine how best to organise their meetings and for each councillor to determine how best to organise his or her workload.
	The working practices of councillors who are members of a local authority's cabinet are therefore a matter for that authority.

Councillors

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which 10 local councillors receive the highest remuneration from the public purse.

Bob Neill: My Department does not hold this information. Each council makes available locally for public inspection the allowances paid to each of their councillors. We will be ensuring this data is published in an open and standardised format to facilitate greater public scrutiny.

Departmental Travel

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) name and  (b) version is of each computer software package used by his Department to calculate its expenditure on travel.

Bob Neill: CLG record and calculate travel expenditure on its central financial, procurement and reporting system-SAP ERP (version:-ECC 5.0, SP 21).

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many port companies which had been separately rated have  (a) paid their new assessments,  (b) paid a contribution under the scheme to allow retrospective demands to be paid off over eight years,  (c) have not been reassessed under the fast track reassessment programme and  (d) became insolvent following retrospective demands.

Bob Neill: As at 8 October 2009, informal inquiries to local authorities suggest that ratepayers occupying 221 properties within ports had fully discharged their backdated liability and ratepayers occupying a further 200 business properties within ports had been granted a schedule of payments. The Government do not have information on how many payments, or of what amount, the 200 properties with schedule of payments agreements have made.
	In view of concerns over the impact of retrospective demands upon businesses the Government, in accordance with our Coalition agreement, implemented a freeze in respect of the collection of certain backdated business rates liabilities including businesses in ports. Under its fast track arrangements for ratepayers with backdated bills, the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) has pledged to give an initial response to points raised in a proposal within 10 working days and a final decision within two months in all but the most complex cases. The VOA report that they have met the fast-track time scales with respect to new assessments on 97% of ports proposals. All those who have subsequently appealed against the VOA's final decision on their proposal to the independent Valuation Tribunal have been offered early hearings, although in practice few have taken up this offer.
	However, a number of concerns have been raised with Ministers by interested parties concerning the practical operation of the process which we will wish to examine further.
	No information is held centrally on how many port companies which had been separately rated have become insolvent following retrospective demands.

Planning: Public Consultation

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on open source planning.

Bob Neill: The coalition agreement states that
	"the Government will return decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils and reform the planning system in the longer term to give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which their inhabitants live, based on the principles set out in the Conservative Party publication 'Open Source Planning' ".
	We have already made a start by giving local authorities greater control over garden grabbing and density targets. The Queen's speech included a Localism Bill where the planning reform agenda will be taken forward.

Train to Gain Programme: North East

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) employers and  (b) employees received support from the Train to Gain programme in (i) Hartlepool constituency, (ii) Tees Valley sub-region and (iii) North East region in each year since the programme was introduced; and how many in each category will receive such support in (A) 2010-11 and (B) 2011-12.

John Hayes: In England, between August 2008 and March 2009, 39,700 employers were engaged through the Train to Gain Skills Brokerage Service. This was replaced in April 2009 by the Business Link Integrated Brokerage Service, which recorded 16,100 employer engagements between April and July 2009(1). Table 1 shows Train to Gain starts by (i) Hartlepool parliamentary constituency (ii) Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Darlington and Redcar and Cleveland, local authorities which comprise the Tees Valley sub region and (iii) the North East Government office region for the 2005/06 to 2008/09 academic year, the latest year for which full year data is available. Final full year Train to Gain data for 2009/10, released as part of a Statistical First Release, is normally expected to be available in December 2010. Investment in further education and skills for the financial year 11-12 onwards will be subject to the spending review.
	(1) The number of employer engagements represents the number of employers who have engaged with the Brokerage Service. It does not represent the number of employers with employees learning on the Train to Gain programme.
	
		
			  Table 1: Train to Gain starts by Geography, 2005/06 to 2008/09 
			   2005/06( 1)  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09( 2) 
			 Hartlepool parliamentary constituency/local authority 100 500 700 2,300 
			 Redcar and Cleveland local authority 200 1,000 1,200 3,100 
			 Middlesbrough local authority 200 900 1,200 3,700 
			 Stockton-on-Tees local authority 200 1,000 1,300 4,500 
			 Darlington local authority 100 500 700 2,300 
			 Tees Valley sub region 800 3,900 5,000 15,800 
			 North East Government office( )region 3,500 15,200 19,800 75,800 
			 (1) April to August. (2) Figures for 2008/09 are not comparable with earlier years as in 2008/09 NVQs delivered in the workplace previously funded by FE are now funded by Train to Gain. There were 181,000 starts and 132,000 achievements in NVQs delivered in the workplace in 2007/08.  Notes: 1. Parliamentary constituency, local authority and regional figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 2. The full-year numbers are a count of the number of starts at any point during the year. Learners starting more than one course will appear more than once. 3. Government office region, local authority and parliamentary constituency is based upon the home postcode of the learner. 4. Tees Valley sub region is comprised of Hartlepool, Redcar and Cleveland, Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees and Darlington local authorities. Figures for Tees Valley sub region are based on the sum of unrounded data for these local authorities.  Source: Individualised Learner Record

Train to Gain Programme: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) employers and  (b) employees received support under the Train to Gain programme in the West Midlands in 2009-10; and how many will receive such support in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12.

John Hayes: In England, between August 2008 and March 2009, 39,700 employers were engaged through the Train to Gain Skills Brokerage Service. This was replaced in April 2009 by the Business Link Integrated Brokerage Service, which recorded 16,100 employer engagements between April and July 2009.(1)
	There were 106,600 Train to Gain starts in the west midlands Government office region in the 2008/09 academic year, the latest year for which full year data are available. Final full year Train to Gain data for 2009/10, released as part of a Statistical First Release, is normally expected to be available in December 2010.
	Investment in further education and skills for the financial year 2011-12 onwards will be subject to the spending review.
	(1) The number of employer engagements represents the number of employers who have engaged with the Brokerage Service. It does not represent the number of employers with employees learning on the Train to Gain programme.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which Ministers in his Department have been issued with  (a) a Blackberry,  (b) an iPhone,  (c) another make of mobile telephone and  (d) a personal digital assistant supplied by the Department.

Gregory Barker: All four Ministers at this Department have been issued with one BlackBerry each.

Radioactive Waste: Waste Management

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials in his Department have had with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on the (i) earliest and (ii) latest dates for the proposed national deep-level geological repository for radioactive waste to open to receive waste deposits; and what discussions his Department has had on the operation opening dates of that proposed repository.

Charles Hendry: Ministers held discussions with representatives from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) on a recent visit to Sellafield. This visit provided an opportunity to discuss the NDA's responsibilities for decommissioning and clean-up of the UK's public civil nuclear sites including the geological disposal of higher activity radioactive waste. Officials regularly meet the NDA to discuss the same responsibilities.
	In 2008, communities were invited to 'Express an Interest' in entering discussions with Government about a siting process for a geological disposal facility and to date three 'Expressions of Interest' have been received from authorities in West Cumbria. The programme towards implementation is flexible and incorporates both robust technical site investigations and ongoing interactions between the project and local communities. The Government have therefore not set a fixed delivery timetable, however the NDA has a current planning assumption that the disposal facility could be available to receive the first waste in 2040.
	This Government recognise the need for strong leadership and effective programme management for geological disposal and will publish a more detailed timeline against which progress can be measured. This will be based on NDA planning assumptions which are benchmarked against international experience.
	Interim stores provide safe and secure facilities throughout the geological disposal facility development programme. In the event that geological disposal facilities are not available until after 2040, they can have their lives extended as required.

AWE Burghfield

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action was taken to assess levels of off-site radioactive contamination resulting from scouring of drains or other causes following the 2007 floods at the Atomic Weapons Establishment Burghfield.

Peter Luff: All of the locations from which water exits the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) Burghfield site, sediment in the Burghfield Brook and grass samples are subject to routine sampling. The results of the sampling are reported to the Environment Agency and are available on the AWE website. Samples taken at the time of the floods indicate no abnormal levels of off-site radioactive contamination.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the URL is of each website managed by  (a) his Department and  (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which his Department is responsible.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces collectively maintain four corporate websites. The URLs are as follows:
	
		
			  Website  URL 
			 Ministry of Defence www.mod.uk 
			 Royal Navy www.royalnavy.mod.uk 
			 British Army www.army.mod.uk 
			 Royal Air Force www.raf.mod.uk 
		
	
	The URLs managed by NDPBs are as follows:
	
		
			  Website  URL 
			 National Employer Advisory Board www.sabre.mod.uk 
			 National Museum of the Royal Navy www.fleetairarm.com 
			  www.royalmarinesmuseum.co.uk 
			  www.royalnavalmuseum.org 
			  www.rnsubmus.co.uk 
			 National Army Museum www.national-army-museum.ac.uk 
			 Royal Air Force Museum www.rafmuseum.org 
			  www.rafmuseumshop.com 
		
	
	The URLs managed by agencies are as follows:
	
		
			  Website  URL 
			 Service Personnel and Veterans Agency www.veterans-uk.info 
			 MOD Police and Guarding Agency www.mod.police.uk 
		
	
	The URLs managed by trading funds are as follows:
	
		
			  Website  URL 
			 Defence Support Group www.dsg.mod.uk 
			 Defence Science and Technology Laboratory www.dstl.gov.uk 
			  www.ctcentre.mod.uk/ 
			 Met Office www.metoffice.gov.uk 
			  http://hadobs.metoffice.com 
			 UK Hydrographic Office www.ukho.gov.uk 
			  http://nmwebsearch.com 
			  www.admiraltyleisure.co.uk 
			  http://catalogue.ukho.gov.uk/ 
		
	
	A number of other websites are managed by the Ministry of Defence:
	
		
			  Website  URL 
			 Acquisition Operating Framework www.aof.mod.uk 
			 Aeronautical Information Documents Unit www.aidu.mod.uk 
			 Army Crusaders Football Club www.crusadersvets.mod.uk 
			 Army FE Bursary Scheme www.bursary.furthereducation.mod.uk 
			 Army Fit www.armyfit.mod.uk 
			 Army in Education http://armyineducation.army.mod.uk/ 
			 Army Jobs Pathfinder http://pathfinder.armyjobs.mod.uk 
			 Army online www.armyonline.mod.uk 
			 British Army jobs www.armyjobs.mod.uk 
			 British Forces Post Office www.bfpo.mod.uk 
			 Camouflage www.camouflage.mod.uk 
			 Chief Scientific Advisor www.science.mod.uk 
			 Civilian Jobs www.civilianjobs.mod.uk/ 
			 Defence Academy www.da.mod.uk 
			 Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) www.dasa.mod.uk 
			 Defence Blogs www.blogs.mod.uk 
			 Defence Contracts Bulletin www.contracts.mod.uk 
			 Defence Dynamics www.defencedynamics.mod.uk 
			 Defence Engineering and Science Group www.desg.mod.uk 
			 Defence Image Database www.defenceimagedatabase.mod.uk 
			 Defence News Imagery www.defencenewsimagery.mod.uk 
			 Defence Sixth Form College (Welbeck) www.dsfc.ac.uk/ 
			 Disposal Services Authority www.edisposals.com 
			 DES Careers www.descareers.co.uk/ 
			 Film Locations www.films.mod.uk 
			 Future Navigation www.futureofnavigation.com 
			 ICS Catalogue www.icscat.mod.uk 
			 Joint Data Link Management Organisation www.jdlmo.mod.uk 
			 My Camouflage MOD www.mycamouflage.mod.uk 
			 Royal Air Force Community Support www.rafcom.co.uk 
			 Royal Military Academy Sandhurst www.sandhurst.mod.uk 
			 Royal Navy Community Website www.rncom.mod.uk 
			 Soldier Magazine www.soldiermagazine.co.uk 
			 Sovereign Base Areas Cyprus www.sba.mod.uk 
			 Thunderer Squadron-Defence Technical Undergraduate Scheme www.thunderersquadron.mod.uk 
			 To The Best www.tothebest.army.mod.uk 
			 UK Defence Standardisation www.dstan.mod.uk 
			 Welbeck www.welbeck.mod.uk 
		
	
	On current plans 28 of these sites are scheduled to be rationalised by March 2011, in line with the pan-government web rationalisation programme.

Departmental Manpower

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) special advisers and  (b) press officers are employed by his Department; and at what Civil Service pay grade in each such case.

Andrew Robathan: There are two special advisers in the Ministry of Defence, both fall within pay band 2 of the special advisers pay structure.
	The following table shows press officer posts in the Ministry of Defence identified in a survey carried out in March 2010, adjusted to take account of known changes since. A breakdown of those posts by civilian and military grade is also shown in the table. This includes civilian and military posts across the Department, including within single Services and Trading Funds. Posts are defined as those who directly interface with national or regional media on news issues, and include those working overseas in direct support of operations.
	
		
			  Grade  Number of press officers 
			 SCS1 1 
			 B1 (Grade 6) 1 
			 B2 (Grade 7) 14 
			 CI (SIO) 21 
			 C2 (IO) 55 
			 D(EO) 1 
			 OF5(1) 1 
			 OF4(1) 4 
			 OF3(1) 5 
			 OF2(1) 1 
			 SNCO(1) 2 
			 Total 106 
			 (1) Military grade. For example OF5, OF4, OF3 are equivalent to Army Colonel, Lt Col and Major respectively, but include all equivalent single Service ranks.

Departmental Translation Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what  (a) documents and  (b) other information for which (i) his Department and (ii) its associated public bodies are responsible are published or provided in the UK in languages other than English; for what reason each such publication is required to be made available in a language or languages other than English; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the translation work so incurred in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All expenditure must comply with the principles set out in Managing Public Money and in the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
	Accessibility to expenditure information on discrete items and services is largely determined by the MOD's Chart of Accounts (Joint Service Publication 530), copies of which are available in the Library of the House. It is also published in the MOD's Publication Scheme at:
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/FinancialReports/ChartOfAccountsManualJsp530.htm

Military Bases: Safety

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking in response to the safety concerns raised by the Ship Environment Safety Board in their recent report to the Defence Environment and Safety Board.

Andrew Robathan: The Department produced a new safety strategy in April 2010 to address all of the main concerns raised in the Ship Environment and Safety Board report to the Defence Environment and Safety Board for 2009. Safety remains the highest priority to the Department, and the Defence Environment and Safety Board will closely monitor the implementation of the Safety Strategy.

Military Bases: Safety

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the Defence Ordnance Safety Board's report of limited assurance on ordnance munitions and explosives; and what steps he is taking to increase the safety of facilities where explosive ordnance is stored.

Peter Luff: On behalf of the Secretary of State, the 2nd PUS chairs a Defence Environment and Safety Board (DESB) which monitors and reviews performance, including that of the Defence Ordnance Safety Board (DOSB). The DOSB's concerns were highlighted in the DESB's report to Defence Board and Defence Audit Committee. The department recognises that there are issues with the state of some of its ammunition storage depots which, if not attended to, would become increasingly serious. Our requirements for ammunition storage will be reviewed in the light of the SDSR and this may mean that some storage depots can be shut altogether. We will consider work to address any defects in the depots that remain open in the context of the forthcoming planning round.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the URL is of each website managed by  (a) his Department and  (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which his Department is responsible.

Jeremy Browne: The Digital Diplomacy Group of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is responsible for the following websites, which are managed from the central FCO web platform. They include websites for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its Posts overseas (including websites in 40 different languages).
	http://britishembassyinireland.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://digitaldiplomacy.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://foi.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukeu.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinafghanistan.fco.gov.uk/dr/
	http://ukinafghanistan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinafghanistan.fco.gov.uk/ps/
	http://ukinalbania.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinalbania.fco.gov.uk/sq/
	http://ukinalgeria.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinalgeria.fco.gov.uk/fr/
	http://ukinangola.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinangola.fco.gov.uk/pt/
	http://ukinargentina.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinargentina.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinarmenia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinarmenia.fco.gov.uk/hy/
	http://ukinaustralia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinaustria.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinazerbaijan.fco.gov.uk/az/
	http://ukinazerbaijan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbahrain.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbangladesh.fco.gov.uk/bn/
	http://ukinbangladesh.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbarbados.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbelarus.fco.gov.uk/be/
	http://ukinbelarus.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbelgium.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbelgium.fco.gov.uk/fr/
	http://ukinbelgium.fco.gov.uk/nl/
	http://ukinbelize.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbih.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbolivia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbolivia.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinbotswana.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbrazil.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbrazil.fco.gov.uk/pt/
	http://ukinbrunei.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbrunei.fco.gov.uk/ms/
	http://ukinbulgaria.fco.gov.uk/bg/
	http://ukinbulgaria.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinburma.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinbvi.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukincambodia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukincambodia.fco.gov.uk/km/
	http://ukincameroon.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukincameroon.fco.gov.uk/fr/
	http://ukincanada.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukincanada.fco.gov.uk/fr/
	http://ukincayman.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinchile.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinchile.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinchina.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinchina.fco.gov.uk/zh/
	http://ukincolombia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukincolombia.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukincostarica.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukincostarica.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukincroatia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukincuba.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukincuba.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukincyprus.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinczechrepublic.fco.gov.uk/cs/
	http://ukinczechrepublic.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukindenmark.fco.gov.uk/da/
	http://ukindenmark.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukindominicanrepublic.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukindominicanrepublic.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukindrc.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinecuador.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinecuador.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinegypt.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinegypt.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukineritrea.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinestonia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinestonia.fco.gov.uk/et/
	http://ukinethiopia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinfiji.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinfinland.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinfinland.fco.gov.uk/fi/
	http://ukinfinland.fco.gov.uk/sv/
	http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/fr/
	http://ukingambia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukingeorgia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukingeorgia.fco.gov.uk/ka/
	http://ukingermany.fco.gov.uk/de/
	http://ukingermany.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinghana.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukingreece.fco.gov.uk/el/
	http://ukingreece.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinguatemala.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinguatemala.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinguyana.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinholysee.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/zh/
	http://ukinhungary.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinhungary.fco.gov.uk/hu
	http://ukiniceland.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/en
	http://ukinindia.fco.gov.uk/hi/
	http://ukinindonesia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukiniran.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukiniran.fco.gov.uk/fa/
	http://ukiniraq.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukiniraq.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinisrael.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinisrael.fco.gov.uk/he/
	http://ukinitaly.fco.gov.uk/en
	http://ukinitaly.fco.gov.uk/it/
	http://ukinjamaica.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/en
	http://ukinjapan.fco.gov.uk/ja
	http://ukinjerusalem.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinjerusalem.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinjordan.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinjordan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinkenya.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinkosovo.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinkuwait.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinkz.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinkz.fco.gov.uk/ru/
	http://ukinlaos.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinlatvia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinlatvia.fco.gov.uk/lv/
	http://ukinlebanon.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinlebanon.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinlibya.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinlibya.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinlithuania.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinlithuania.fco.gov.uk/lt/
	http://ukinluxembourg.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmacedonia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmadagascar.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmalawi.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmalaysia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmaldives.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmalta.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmauritius.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmexico.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmexico.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinmoldova.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmoldova.fco.gov.uk/ro/
	http://ukinmoldova.fco.gov.uk/ru/
	http://ukinmongolia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmontenegro.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmontserrat.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmorocco.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmorocco.fco.gov.uk/fr/
	http://ukinmozambique.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinmozambique.fco.gov.uk/pt/
	http://ukinnamibia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinnepal.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinnewzealand.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinnigeria.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinnl.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinnl.fco.gov.uk/nl/
	http://ukinnorway.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinoman.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinoman.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinpakistan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinpakistan.fco.gov.uk/ur/
	http://ukinpanama.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinpanama.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinperu.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinperu.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinpng.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinpoland.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinpoland.fco.gov.uk/pl/
	http://ukinportugal.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinportugal.fco.gov.uk/pt/
	http://ukinqatar.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinqatar.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinrok.fco.gov.uk/en
	http://ukinrok.fco.gov.uk/ko
	http://ukinromania.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinromania.fco.gov.uk/ro/
	http://ukinrussia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinrussia.fco.gov.uk/ru/
	http://ukinrwanda.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsaudiarabia.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinsaudiarabia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsenegal.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsenegal.fco.gov.uk/fr/
	http://ukinserbia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinserbia.fco.gov.uk/sr/
	http://ukinseychelles.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsierraleone.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsingapore.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinslovakia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinslovakia.fco.gov.uk/sk/
	http://ukinslovenia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsolomonislands.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsouthafrica.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinspain.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinsrilanka.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsrilanka.fco.gov.uk/si/
	http://ukinsudan.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinsudan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsweden.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinswitzerland.fco.gov.uk/de/
	http://ukinswitzerland.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinsyria.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukintaiwan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukintaiwan.fco.gov.uk/zh/
	http://ukintajikistan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukintajikistan.fco.gov.uk/ru/
	http://ukintanzania.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukintanzania.fco.gov.uk/sw/
	http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinthailand.fco.gov.uk/th/
	http://ukinthephilippines.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukintt.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukintunisia.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukintunisia.fco.gov.uk/fr/
	http://ukinturkey.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinturkey.fco.gov.uk/tr/
	http://ukinturkmenistan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinturkmenistan.fco.gov.uk/ru/
	http://ukinturkmenistan.fco.gov.uk/tk/
	http://ukinuae.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinuganda.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinukraine.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinukraine.fco.gov.uk/uk/
	http://ukinuruguay.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinuruguay.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinuzbekistan.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinuzbekistan.fco.gov.uk/ru/
	http://ukinvenezuela.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinvenezuela.fco.gov.uk/es/
	http://ukinvietnam.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinvietnam.fco.gov.uk/vi/
	http://ukinyemen.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://ukinyemen.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukinzambia.fco.gov.uk/en
	http://ukinzimbabwe.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://uknato.fco.gov.uk/en
	http://ukoecd.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukun.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukunarmscontrol.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://ukungeneva.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://www.actoncopenhagen.decc.gov.uk/en/
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/ar/
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/ur/
	http://www.londonsummit.gov.uk/en/
	http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/
	Information on the governance of the above websites and their URLs can be found at:
	http://digitaldiplomacy.fco.gov.uk/en/guidance/controls/domain-names
	The website URL for the FCO's Trading Fund, FCO Services, is:
	http://www.fcoservices.gov.uk/eng/
	and they also run a recruitment site at:
	http://www.fcoscareers.co.uk/
	The website for the FCO's public diplomacy agency, Wilton Park, will join the main FCO platform shortly-their URL is:
	www.wiltonpark.org.uk
	Other public bodies that report to the Department (the BBC World Service and the British Council) have their own Boards of Trustees and manage their own web presences (their URLs are:
	http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice
	and
	http://www.britishcouncil.org/new/

North Korea: Diplomatic Relations

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest assessment is of the state of the UK's diplomatic relationship with North Korea.

Jeremy Browne: The UK's diplomatic relationship with North Korea is one of carefully-targeted critical engagement. We have serious concerns on a range of issues, not least its nuclear programme. We have strongly condemned North Korea's sinking of the South Korean navy vessel Cheonan. We also challenge North Korea on human rights abuses at every opportunity.
	But we also seek engagement with North Korea to address these concerns and to help North Koreans develop knowledge of the outside world. For example we work with the British Council to train English Language teachers in Universities in Pyongyang.

Constituencies

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what public consultation will take place before proposals are made for the redrawing of electoral boundaries.

Mark Harper: The Government have announced that they will introduce legislation to provide for the creation of fewer and more equally sized constituencies. Further details will be announced in due course and the Government will seek to frame the legislation in a way that ensures that the Boundary Commissions can complete their task in a timely, fair and thorough way.

House of Lords: Reform

Chris Bryant: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he plans a reformed House of Lords to be a wholly or substantially elected second chamber.

Mark Harper: The Deputy Prime Minister informed the House on 7 June,  Official Report, column 47, that he will chair a committee comprising members of all three major political parties in both Houses. This committee will consider proposals for a wholly or mainly elected second chamber. The committee will be charged with producing a draft Bill by no later than the end of this year. The draft Bill will then be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Committee of both Houses.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the URL is of each website managed by  (a) his Department and  (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which his Department is responsible.

Justine Greening: The URLs for the department's websites and each of the non-departmental public bodies and agencies are detailed below:
	 HM Treasury department website:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
	Invest to Save Budget:
	http://www.isb.gov.uk
	this site is being migrated and integrated into the HM Treasury Department website as part of transformational Government.
	 Independent and non-departmental public bodies and agencies;
	Office for Budget Responsibility:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk
	UK Financial Investments Ltd:
	http://www.ukfi.co.uk
	UK Financial Sector Continuity:
	http://www.fsc.gov.uk
	 HM Revenue and Customs operate the following websites:
	HM Revenue and Customs:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk
	Child Trust Fund:
	http://www.childtrustfund.gov.uk
	UK Trade Info:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com
	The Valuation Office Agency (VOA):
	http://www.voa.gov.uk
	My Business Rates:
	http://www.mybusinessrates.gov.uk/wales
	Local Housing Allowance:
	https://lha-direct.voa.gov.uk
	Business Link:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	Northern Ireland Business Info:
	www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk
	Business Gateway (Scotland):
	www.bgateway.com
	Flexible Support for Business (Wales):
	http://www.fs4b.wales.gov.uk
	The remaining websites are managed independently of either HM Treasury or HMRC.
	The Debt Management Office (DMO):
	http://www.dmo.gov.uk
	Government Actuary's Department:
	http://www.gad.gov.uk
	National Savings and Investments:
	http://www.nsandi.com
	The Royal Mint:
	http://www.royalmint.com

Office for Budget Responsibility

John Pugh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what salary will be paid to Sir Alan Budd in his capacity as head of the Office of Budget Responsibility; and for what bonus payments he will be eligible.

Justine Greening: Sir Alan Budd has been appointed by the Treasury as an independent adviser to provide services in connection with its fiscal policies, acting as chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the interim Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and advising on the establishment of a permanent OBR.
	Sir Alan Budd is receiving payment at a rate of £2,885 per week (excluding value added tax) for the performance of these services. He is not eligible for a bonus.
	The release of this information is consistent with the Government's approach to transparency on public sector pay, and in line with the publication on 1 June of high-earning civil servants' salaries.

Tax Avoidance and Evasion

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his most recent estimate is of the annual amount lost to the Exchequer consequent on tax  (a) avoidance and  (b) evasion; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) estimate that the overall tax gap was £40 billion in 2007-08. Detail on how this estimate was produced is set out in detail in 'Measuring Tax Gaps 2009', available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/measuring-tax-gaps.pdf
	It is also available in the House of Commons Library.
	'Protecting Tax Revenues 2009' builds on this analysis using management assumptions to allocate the tax gap to different forms of non-compliance; available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/pbr2009/protect-tax-revenue-5450.pdf
	Avoidance is estimated to account for 17.5% of the overall tax gap. Evasion accounts for a further 17.5% and the hidden economy, a form of evasion where the source of income is unknown to HMRC, a further 7.5% of the tax gap.

Taxation: Aviation

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with representatives of the aviation industry on the possible impact of a per-plane tax on  (a) their levels of business and  (b) their competitiveness; and if he will make a statement.;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and  (b) the Secretary of State for Transport on the likely effect on the aviation industry of the introduction of a per-plane tax, with particular respect to freight carriers; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with Ministers in  (a) the Scottish Executive,  (b) the Welsh Assembly Government and  (c) the Northern Ireland Executive on the likely effect on the business levels and competitiveness of aviation companies in those countries of a per-plane tax.

Justine Greening: holding answer 14 June 2010
	The Coalition Agreement includes an intention to switch from a per passenger to a per plane duty. The Government are considering options for doing so, and welcomes the views of interested parties. As part of this process, the Chancellor takes representations from a range of interested parties, including Ministers from other Departments and from Devolved Administrations.

Apprentices: West Midlands

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he plans to alter the number of 16 and 17 year-olds who  (a) start and  (b) complete apprenticeships in (i) Dudley and (ii) the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: We intend to increase the number of Apprenticeship places for people of all ages. We are committed to improving the quality of Apprenticeships to make them better suited to the needs of employers and learners, and to increasing the number of Advanced Apprenticeships.

Building Schools for the Future Programme: North East

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what plans he has for the future of the  (a) Building Schools for the Future and  (b) Primary Capital Programme in (i) Hartlepool constituency and (ii) the North East region; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department is currently reviewing the Building Schools for the Future programme to ensure that we can build schools more effectively and more cost-efficiently in the future.

Children: Databases

Edward Balls: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what assessment his Department has made on the effects on practitioner time expended per child of the introduction of the Contact Point database.

Tim Loughton: The Department has made no assessment of the effect of introducing ContactPoint on practitioner time spent on each child.

Departmental Pay

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was paid in bonuses to civil servants in his Department in 2009-10.

Kenneth Clarke: Non-consolidated performance pay is paid to employees in the Ministry of Justice to recognise outstanding performance through the year (or for staff in grades below the SCS on specific occasions during the year).
	 Senior civil service
	Performance related pay is awarded to senior civil servants (SCS) in line with recommendations made by the Senior Salaries Review Body.
	Non-consolidated performance related payments are made as part of the SCS annual pay award to those whose performance has exceeded agreed delivery objectives during the previous performance year. The amount paid in 2009-10 was £1,375,000. There is no in year provision.
	 Other staff
	With the exception of staff working in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), in grades below the SCS, staff in the Ministry of Justice are employed on common terms and conditions.
	For staff in grades below the SCS non-consolidated performance pay may be awarded either at the 'end of year' or 'in year'. Awards of 'end of year' non consolidated performance pay are made as part of the annual pay award to staff whose performance over the course of the year has been judged as outstanding. 'In year' non consolidated performance payments are made to staff in recognition of specific contributions during the year over and above the contribution expected for someone in a particular role.
	During 2009-10 £1,923,600 was paid in 'end of year' non-consolidated performance pay, excluding staff working in the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for whom Information will not be available before August. Information about 'in year' non-consolidated performance pay for 2009-10 is not yet available, other than for NOMS for the nine months up to 31 December 2009, during which time it awarded payments amounting to £1,612,200. This figure has not yet been validated and further data will be collected and checked.
	Final information will be provided to the House of Commons Library as soon as it is available.

Rape: Disclosure of Information

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what evidence on the introduction of anonymity for defendants in rape cases he considered before the announcement of the policy.

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consultation took place on the proposal to afford anonymity for those accused of rape; and if he will make a statement.

Kenneth Clarke: The proposal to grant anonymity to defendants in rape trials was included within the coalition Agreement following negotiations between the two coalition partners. All of the policy commitments made by the coalition Government were derived from the existing policy of one or both of the governing parties. The issue of anonymity for defendants in rape trials was adopted as party policy by the Liberal Democrat Party while in opposition. It was also the subject of an extensive inquiry by the Home Affairs Select Committee, in its fifth report published on 24 June 2003.